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Originally the Village of Fortuna was platted by W. A. Porter and incorporated on May 19, 1857. It was originally platted at the junction of the Point Douglas to Superior Military Road and Kettle River. Fortuna served as the county seat for Buchanan County, Minnesota. By 1887, it had 200 residents. Just north of Fortuna, the Village of Sandstone was platted in June 1887 and incorporated on September 28, 1887. On April 14, 1920, the villages of Fortuna and Sandstone merged and re-incorporated as the City of Sandstone.[7]

The city's name in the Ojibwe language is Asinikaaning, meaning "At the quarrying place" due to the sandstone quarry located at the edge of the city.

Sandstone is located on the Kettle River, known for its glacial kettles, and rapids well loved by kayakers and canoeists. The town was built-up around a large Sandstone quarry. Railroad conglomerate James J. Hill built many of the remaining sandstone structures in the town.

The city has Robinson Park, an historic and natural area that serves as the picnic area for the community, hosts ice climbing in the winter, preserving the Sandstone Quarry history and is an access point for the Kettle River.

The Sandstone Ice Festivalsandstoneicefest.com celebrates the coming of winter and is held in the beginning of December each year. The event welcomes in the winter with ice climbing, winter camping and snow shoeing. In the spring local paddlers host the Kettle River Paddle Festivalkettleriverpaddlefest.com, an event for canoeists and kayakers. A down river race and a whitewater rodeo attract paddlers from all over the mid-western United States.

In recent years, Sandstone has gained national recognition as the home of the Midwest Country Music Theatre. Performances from this traditional country and western music venue are seen regularly on the RFD-TV satellite network.

There were 602 households of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.9% were married couples living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the city was 34.9 years. 14.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 46.1% were from 25 to 44; 20.2% were from 45 to 64; and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 71.0% male and 29.0% female.

There were 580 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 79.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,265, and the median income for a family was $43,684. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $21,181 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,053. About 11.6% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.